A man stood next to me

A man stood next to me last night in the midsts of a dance - we were in truth using the hand basins in the lavatories at a London dance venue. I shall call him Dave.

"How long have you been dancing?"

"6 years I think" I replied

"Me too, great innit"

"Yes, I..."

He interrupts

"Saved my life, was gonna top myself, this stopped me, turned me round"

I turn to face him, he continued

"Was ready to put a gun in mouth, really down"

"Remarkable" I said

"Dancin' saved my life"

He carried on..I listened intently as this complete stranger told me the bare bones of his story. I told him mine, an inadequate quid pro quo but his point resonants not with mine but with a sentiment I hold dear that there's something about music and moving to that music which short circuits the minds of troubled people. It is a direct attack on the brain's neurochemistry in which so many people find relief. It is a drug of mystical powers.

"What's your name?"

"Stephen"

"Dave, I'll chat to you later"

"Very nice to meet you"

A chance encounter and a powerful story - one of many I've heard - one of many I''d like to collect. His is fierce testimony to the power of this balm. It is offered as therapy in some places, it should be in our schools, hospitals and care centres. It is and remains to me, as near to magic as I can go.

Would REALLY appreciate comments on this entry - so that others can see stories of dance.

76 Views 11/05/14

Comments - transfered from older blog

Comments

Dance Season No 8 - Camber March 2013

I coughed and wheezed my way through this dance weekend and didn't make it to the end, surrendering to practicalities and the all too evident feeling of being at the limits of my scant energy most of the time It's the ultimate frustration starting out a dance with an intention of giving your all and then finding the energy leaves you and the opportunity is lost. I should start, therefore, with an apology to all those lovely dancers assembled on the South Coast that I didn't dance more and I didn't dance better. That said I was glad I went because the highlights were considerable and the alternatives much less interesting. And to some extent one always feel a little better as one dances. Early March is a tough time to hold an event like a weekender. The weather was bad on arrival, calm on Saturday, cold on Sunday and snowy on Monday. I was really impressed with the commitment of many of the people who work hard to make these weekenders. Stu Bassie's in...

How a Competition is born - making it happen

The birth of a new competition on the Ceroc dance circuit gives me chance to talk to some of those involved to illustrate what it's all about. To kick this off I sent over a few questions to one of the key people in the drive to create Northern Championships, Jamie Stormer. Photo credit: Terry Hills Jamie is a well respected Ceroc teacher and successful competitive dancer. He works for Ceroc Addiction (which covers Shropshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire and Manchester). This area has become something of a powerhouse of competition dancing and Jamie has been instrumental in bring on new dancers to the competition circuit. A week ago Jamie was competing with great success in Ceroc UK Championships - now he's busy on the final preparations for Northern Champs which I first previewed here . The other day I asked Jamie via email a few questions about this new competition with a view to sharing them with you:- SN: How did you get the idea for Northern Champs? ...

Northern Champs - preview

So after the Ceroc UK Championships in Watford - the next stop of the dance competition juggernaut is on the weekend of 20/21/22 June in Manchester at the Ukrainian Club in the Cheetham Hill district just north east of the city centre. The event is run by Ceroc Addiction. You can read about the Watford Competition here . This promises to be a key part of the growing competition network - not least because competition dancing thrives in the franchise area and because this region currently boasts some of the most talented dancers there are in modern jive. You can learn more about the event here on the Northern Champs website or follow their Twitter account @NorthernChamps and on Facebook by liking this page Given the strength of both Ceroc Scottish and Welsh Championships - both built on national competition success - the auguries are good for the Manchester team. An experienced core to the judging team will see the right conduct of pro...

Mindpoke dance

Search This Blog